Despite the speculation, T.Y. Hilton isn’t thinking about retirement. In recent weeks, the veteran wide receiver informed the Colts that he wants to continue playing, according to GM Chris Ballard.
“T.Y. can still play,” Ballard said (via Nate Atkins of the Indianapolis Star). “One, he’s about as smart as any player I’ve ever been around. He just knows how to play the game. Even though his skill set isn’t the same as it was three or four years ago, his instincts and his level of understand what’s happening…he knows how to play.”
Hilton is coming off of a forgettable year, one that saw the Colts’ aerial game nosedive in the second half of the season. Injuries limited the four-time Pro Bowler to just 23 catches, 331 yards and three touchdowns — all career lows. That’s a far cry from his best work, and it’s worth noting that the 32-year-old hasn’t posted a 1,000-yard season since 2018.
Now at the age of 32, Hilton is scheduled to hit the open market later this month. It’s not a given that he’ll stay in Indy, especially if teammate and friend Jack Doyle calls it quits.
“I’m just gonna take some time and talk to Jack and just go through it,” Hilton said in January when asked about the possibility of retirement. “If I want to play one more year, I could play one more year. If not, then I won’t. So [I’ll] just talk to [Doyle], see how he’s feeling and once he makes his decision, I’ll kind of know what I want to do kind of based on him.”
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